A few years back, my brother, an IRS employee working in Austin, was warning all of us about identity theft associated with filing our income tax returns online. We all think he's an asshole anyway, but when this Chinese hacking thing hit the news, it did bring a few "serves the asshole right" comments and laughs.
June 15, 2015 at 8:15 AM
Anonymous said...
Why would the government want to protect our data?
Look at TSA! Their goal is to make us FEEL safe. Anyone think their goal is to make us safe for real? The safest airline in the world is El Al. Do you see anyone in the TSA adopting Israeli style airline security security procedures?
I have never filed my 1040 online, and have no intention of ever doing so. And as far as some "black hat" stealing my tax refund, I make sure I always owe Uncle something so there's no refund to steal.
Having Uncle puke up my personal info to some ChiCom is another issue altogether. If there's something we can do to make that more unlikely, someone please speak up and clue the rest of us in!
June 15, 2015 at 8:45 AM
Anonymous said...
Anon. 8:15am.. he's an a'hole because he works for the IRS?? Sounds unfair without details. But maybe a family thing...
Unless you live off the grid, there's just going to be a lot of data on all of us. The gov systems should be made more secure. The alternative is trusting Google, Apple, Microsoft, F'Book, the Banks, Hospital corps., etc., etc. I don't prefer them.
Here's a banner that just flashed across the top of the screen on the USA Today site that hosted this article: CloseBreaking News Rachel Dolezal steps down as president of Spokane chapter of NAACP.
How's that for timing??
June 15, 2015 at 11:27 AM
Anonymous said...
"For the rest of us, the lesson is that we should probably think twice before entrusting the federal government with our own information. "
The bleeping morons didn't even bother to encrypt the data. I work in a "secure" environment and mine is possibly among the highly sensitive personal information that was breached.
In a strange way I'm almost relieved that it's now understood to be 14 million peoples info rather than 4 million. Now my chances of getting screwed with are x in 14M instead of x in 4M.
Clean desk policy, erase the white board at the end of every day, cover sheets for all classified documents, do not write down pass words for classified information systems, self report all security violations as well as those of others, lock your screen if you so much as step out of your cubicle, a poly every 5 years, and enjoy filling out what used to be Standard Form 86 but now is now the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP). And in return for accepting all of that responsibility the OPM gives our PI to the Chicoms.
More than a little pissed.
June 15, 2015 at 12:49 PM
neal said...
Protection is probably an old business model. Keep your stuff separate, sell the rest. Lots of proxies. Trade deals. Watchful eyes. Private servers.
Pay for distraction, pay for selling out. If I had this place and Hell, well there you go.
"What if Pearl Harbor just happened and nobody noticed?"
8 Comments -
A few years back, my brother, an IRS employee working in Austin, was warning all of us about identity theft associated with filing our income tax returns online. We all think he's an asshole anyway, but when this Chinese hacking thing hit the news, it did bring a few "serves the asshole right" comments and laughs.
June 15, 2015 at 8:15 AM
Why would the government want to protect our data?
Look at TSA! Their goal is to make us FEEL safe. Anyone think their goal is to make us safe for real? The safest airline in the world is El Al. Do you see anyone in the TSA adopting Israeli style airline security security procedures?
I have never filed my 1040 online, and have no intention of ever doing so. And as far as some "black hat" stealing my tax refund, I make sure I always owe Uncle something so there's no refund to steal.
Having Uncle puke up my personal info to some ChiCom is another issue altogether. If there's something we can do to make that more unlikely, someone please speak up and clue the rest of us in!
June 15, 2015 at 8:45 AM
Anon. 8:15am.. he's an a'hole because he works for the IRS?? Sounds unfair without details.
But maybe a family thing...
Unless you live off the grid, there's just going to be a lot of data on all of us. The gov systems should be made more secure. The alternative is trusting Google, Apple, Microsoft, F'Book, the Banks, Hospital corps., etc., etc. I don't prefer them.
A Federal Nerd Security Force ?...
June 15, 2015 at 9:01 AM
but, but, but everybody knows that "big brother" is the one to take care of us! :)
Merle
June 15, 2015 at 9:44 AM
Here's a banner that just flashed across the top of the screen on the USA Today site that hosted this article: CloseBreaking News Rachel Dolezal steps down as president of Spokane chapter of NAACP.
How's that for timing??
June 15, 2015 at 11:27 AM
"For the rest of us, the lesson is that we should probably think twice before entrusting the federal government with our own information. "
Ya Think?!
Brilliance once again demonstrated by the media.
June 15, 2015 at 11:27 AM
The bleeping morons didn't even bother to encrypt the data. I work in a "secure" environment and mine is possibly among the highly sensitive personal information that was breached.
In a strange way I'm almost relieved that it's now understood to be 14 million peoples info rather than 4 million. Now my chances of getting screwed with are x in 14M instead of x in 4M.
Clean desk policy, erase the white board at the end of every day, cover sheets for all classified documents, do not write down pass words for classified information systems, self report all security violations as well as those of others, lock your screen if you so much as step out of your cubicle, a poly every 5 years, and enjoy filling out what used to be Standard Form 86 but now is now the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP). And in return for accepting all of that responsibility the OPM gives our PI to the Chicoms.
More than a little pissed.
June 15, 2015 at 12:49 PM
Protection is probably an old business model. Keep your stuff separate, sell the rest.
Lots of proxies. Trade deals. Watchful eyes. Private servers.
Pay for distraction, pay for selling out. If I had this place and Hell, well there you go.
June 15, 2015 at 2:28 PM